Expert skiers are fun to watch because they make it all look so natural and almost easy as they dance down every slope on the mountain. Reduced to the extreme, skiing is actually pretty simple – you turn left and right, speed up and slow down. That’s pretty much it! But if you were to fly a drone above an expert skier for a day you would see them do a lot more than that. They might:
Traverse, garland, lane change, ski the fall line or tuck;
Playfully slice dynamic hip-to-the-snow turns, synchro or figure-eight a friend’s turns, or soar up the walls in a half-pipe;
Flow almost in slow motion across the flats, then rip a steep pitch at high speed stacked and solid;
Power thru mush or crust, hold an edge on ice, dance thru moguls, zip through a race course, hoot and holler thru glades, drop into a no-fall couloir, or float through deep powder;
Make smart choices about safety whether on crowded groomers or an off-piste cornice, and…, even with all that skill, at least some remain humble and eager to learn something new!
Amazing. Inspiring.
But what about ME you say!! Don’t I have to grow up on skis or be a ski bum? No!!!! Has it occurred to you that plenty of people who grow up on skis or winter in a ski town do not become expert skiers? Yes, it takes time on your skis, but most who become experts do it by building a habit of deliberate practice. They gradually build up their own deep reservoir of movement patterns and variations typical of a true expert. That’s how you can “earn your (expert) turns!!”
OK, let’s get specific – what moves are in the expert’s reservoir? Here’s a good starter list:
- Speed up, slow down, stop on a dime or let ’em rip;
- Carve, skid, stem, step, wedge…, ski one-footed or two-footed;
- Mix and match micro, short, medium, and long radius turns;
- Make turns with one edge, two edges, or no edges at all;
- Un-weight up or down, pre-jump a drop, dolphin in & out of powder or catch some air in the bumps;
- Crank, float, skate, converge, initiate turns with two edges or one edge – with either foot;
- Leave S tracks in the snow, or brackets…, pivot-slip down a narrow corridor or edge hop up the slope,
- Pivot, rotate, counter-rotate, or spin 360’s, tail-check, kick turn, hop, turn in the air…, and ski forwards or backwards;
- Ski with boots buckled tight or loose…, topple, incline, angulate, counter with the hips or steer with ‘em;
- Make the lightest of rhythmic pole touches, aggressively anticipate-block-release, lever their whole body into the air, or…, leave the poles in the lodge.
- And they have invisible moves too, such as the ability to see moguls as friends, visualize the second turn in the no-fall zone, notice internal hesitation or tension and pause to figure out what it’s telling them.., or anticipate how nature will change the snow on a particular slope over time.
In a nutshell, as you build precision and versatility… you’ll have a greater range of choices for how you move and guide your skis. That reservoir of precision and versatility allows you to be adaptable, agile and efficient… seeking out all kinds of “wow” feelings that can be created by how you interact with the snow and the mountain. And another great reward for in expanding your palette is that pretty soon you’ll have the freedom to ski anywhere.
Charles@SkiBetter.pro
PS: Not all of those moves in your repertoire … yet? Have we got drills for you!! Read “Self-improvement for blue & black level skiers”)
PPS: You want to take it up another level? Wow. OK, how about building your ability to do all of this on both alpine or on TELEMARK gear!